Die A Hero
by Inspiration Within
Summary: Frightened by the prospect of Zeref's return, magic is seen as a means to harm. Mages are put to death and hunted like animals, and fear runs rampant through the streets of Fiore. An unlikely group of young mages is saddled with the difficult task of restoring peace across the land, preventing a war between mages and humans, and preventing Zeref's magical resurrection.
_Disclaimer: I, obviously, do not own Fairy Tail._

 _Welcome back! Or, rather, I should probably say welcome, because I don't suppose most people read my first... we'll call it a story but... anyways! This will be a full-fledged, entire story! Regardless of how many people say I suck!_

 _So the synopsis is simple; let's go over the only 'rules' I have._

 _-No flaming_

 _-Please try to show support in some way. It really helps motivate me to write_

 _That's all. Now with that out of the way, let us cover some bases._

 _There will more than likely NOT be an O.C's, lest I see a dire reason to have one. Second, this is AU; this world is vastly different than the Fairy Tail Manga/Anime world. Third, characters will be O.O.C mostly due to the circumstances of this universe. Romance has yet to be decided, but otherwise, if you have questions, feel free to message me or review it and I'll answer!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

"Please... p-please... don't do this..."

A silence fell over the desperate plea, blanketing the courtyard in a thick, heavy cloud of anxiousness. The only sound to break the sheet of silence was the malicious caw of the midnight feathered crows, each one peering at the sobbing man. His body shook with sobs, but he was incapable of moving as he was held prisoner by chains and forced to his knees with his neck proportional to a gleaming steel blade hanging ominously a few feet above.

"You, Everlue, have been found guilty of using magic in two separate forms. Earth magic and Celestial Summoning magic are both illegal according to Law VI- "Any Persons Found Possessing Magic Is Punishable By Life Sentence". What say you to these accusations?"

The silence once again fell over the courtyard as a handful of spectators, those brave enough to face the likely bloodshed, glared at the former politician of Shirotsume Town. The overweight man sobbed and struggled weakly against his restraints as he lifted his head to reveal empty, but bloodshot eyes.

"I-I didn't... I wasn't using them! I was framed!" Everlue shouted, but his voice quickly fell as he saw the disapproving glare of his judges. He began to mumble, quietly. "I can't use magic... it's... it's i-inconcievable..."

"Have you no defense, Everlue?!" The head judge said loudly, peering down upon the broken visage of the once selfish man. A moment passed, and the former Duke Everlue failed to mutter out any coherent defenses, causing the lead judge to nod toward the executioner. The man, cloaked in black, but devoid anything to mask his identity, merely nodded and slowly walked to the release lever.

The judge stood up, brandishing his full height upon the crowd, casting a shadow upon the land, and locked eyes with the broken Everlue. "For your crimes against the land, you, Everlue, are to be punished by death. Let your blood be a reminder to those still hiding... magic is akin to the demons of Tartaros and those found using it... will meet the same fate."

"N-NO! I'M INNOCENT!" Everlue seemed to come to life as he saw the executioner grab the handle and prepare to pull. The overweight man began to struggle all the more, trying desperately to access his magic to form some means to escape, but try as he might, there seemed to be a barrier blocking off the sweet touch of his magic, keeping it just out of reach.

Just before he thought he could feel it, the world seemed to go white, and suddenly, there was no more.

The crowd murmured as the head of Everlue fell from his body, severed and cut cleanly from its previous resting place. Some turned away, unable to look any longer at the gruesome execution. Others merely stared, unfeeling, as they relinquished that there was one less wizard to attempt to bring back the Dark Lord Zeref. Some even smiled as a false sense of security washed over them, seemingly ensuring them that the destruction of that one man meant their families were all the safer.

The judge, now having completed his task, turned toward the crowd, and extended his arms toward them, his eyes dancing with fire and passion as he looked amongst them. "My people, we have once again put down a heinous criminal! But, do not feel as if we are safe. Because we are not."

An uncomfortable murmur rose from the small crowd, but was quickly snuffed out as the judge raised his arms to motion for silence. "It will be a fight; we have been waging this war for over 30 years... and it has still yet to end. HOWEVER! We shall not rest until all mages are destroyed! We shall not rest until the talk of Zeref becomes myth and it becomes impossible to speak of his existence! We have devised plans to continue to hunt down rogue mages, and I assure you this, my people. I, Edolas Faust, shall not rest until all mages are wiped out! We will win this war!"

Faust stroked his beard as he witnessed the roar of approval from the people- from _his_ people. His smirk went unnoticed as he stepped down from the podium, flanked by numerous guards, each heavily armed with Anti-Magic weaponry and armor. While many of them would fall if faced with a powerful wizard, he did not pay heed to that, instead acknowledging that sheer numbers would ultimately prove their worth. These men were expendable, unlike himself.

From the crowd, as Faust walked away, a young girl watched, her face obscured by a hood, though not in an attention-drawing fashion. Her blue hair, while beautiful and bright, was tucked into the cloak, keeping it, too, hidden from sight. The cloak wrapped around her body tightly, showing off her lithe form and highlighting her young age. She'd garnered some strange looks from spectators, but ultimately, no one had approached her about her placement in such a gruesome display.

Using the crowd's excitement to slip away, the girl disappeared into the forest that surrounded the courtyard, running with the wind as if she was naught but an intangible spirit. She dashed through the branches and bushes, barely disturbing them as she danced through the forest, each step distancing her from the nightmarish display. Finally, stopping near a small pond, she halted her retreat and took several, cleansing, deep breaths and stared upon the gentle glisten of the water as the sun peaked through the clouds.

Taking a seat next to the water, the girl drew in the air with her finger and watched as a small globe of water rose up and swirled in the air. She felt a slight tug in her stomach as the the wind seemed to picked up around the sphere of water and dust particles were removed from the water gently. After a moment passed, and the water seemed less cloudy, the girl guided the water ball to her mouth, and delicately sucked it in.

The coolness washed down her throat and chilled her stomach in a pleasing way, but served to remind her that she was still running on empty. She placed a hand on her stomach and groaned- she needed to find food, and _fast_.

But, alas, she had to find a new town first. It was unwise to stay anywhere where General Faust and his army was; that was the fastest way to be discovered and hunted down like a wounded animal. Even with her _**Wind Sprint**_ , it was still a gamble she wasn't willing to take... even if she'd practically displayed herself for the army earlier.

"There you are!" A snooty voice called out, but despite the uppity tone, the girl could hear the concern laced within. "I thought you weren't going to do anything that put you in danger?!"

The girl seemed to roll her eyes. "I wasn't in any danger, Carla! There were too many people there for them to sense my magic!"

Emerging from above was a snowy-white cat, wearing a white top with a black skirt, her angelic white wings casting a shadow upon the girl's slight form. While she looked pleasant enough, the scowl on her face spoke another story, and the girl felt the oncoming scolding.

"Not in any da- Wendy, do you _realize_ how powerful you are? Just one moment where you slip up in concealing your power, and you'll have then entire Royal Guard upon you!" Carla took a moment to sigh, and her gaze turned from strict to tired. While it was far from understanding, Wendy could see how her Exceed understood the position she, herself, was in. "I know it's hard to remain hidden... I know it's hard to run, but you can't afford to recklessly endanger yourself like that."

Wendy sighed and repeated her earlier process with the water cleansing. This time, however, she made a separate orb for Carla, and offered it to her, which the Exceed gratefully accepted with a quiet, "thank you". Wendy drank the water slowly, trying to think of a way to apologize, before settling for sincerity.

"You're right, Carla. I'm sorry... I should've thought more about the consequences."

Carla remained quiet, before finally descending and landing on the ground gracefully. She gently pat Wendy's arm and offered her a quiet smile.

"It's alright, child. I understand how tempting it can be to be around others... it's not healthy to run away from everyone. But maybe in the future, we won't have to." Wendy couldn't help but dream of that future, where she could be around other children her age and play with them without a care in the world. A smile graced her face as she imagined what it would be like to live without the fear of death looming over her head.

Wendy couldn't help her snort, though. "Maybe in another universe, you mean."

"And maybe in another universe you'd listen more," Carla shot back. Wendy sheepishly smiled, but wondered what she would be like if she didn't have to live as a fugitive. Maybe she'd be more childish. Maybe... she'd still have Grandeeney...

"Come, child. We should find some food and a place to rest for the night."

Wendy couldn't help but agree. Though she knew the food would be limited, anything in her belly would be appreciated at this point. Some sleep also sounded near heavenly; although she doubted she'd be able to sleep heavily. She hadn't been able to sleep peacefully in months. If the threat of the army wasn't enough, wild animals and monsters lurking in the night was more than enough to keep her on her toes.

If only she was the Shadow Dragon Slayer instead...

She and Carla embarked, quickly locating a slightly more open area, a few berry bushes nearby. The trees were high enough that a monster wouldn't notice her scent, and the branches were thick enough to support her body should she toss about in her slumber. The only thing it lacked was good cover- should a search party or wandering traveler come through, she would be on open display. While it was unlikely, there was always the need to consider the worst. That's how she got by, after all.

As the two walked to find food, Wendy could feel Carla's eyes dart between the path in front of them and Wendy's small bag attached to her hip. There was an unspoken question: _'did you discover anything'_ , but she knew Carla was too proud to ask the question, because that would imply that the trip wasn't as reckless and foolhardy as she preached.

Finally, after a few moments of burning silence, Wendy nonchalantly brought up the unspoken question.

"So... while I was in town, I found a few posters." Carla didn't seem to turn her head, or jump at the revelation, but the slightest of head nods indicated that she had Carla's _full_ attention. "They were new; I haven't seen posters in any town so far."

"What kind of posters?"

Wendy gently removed one from her bag and unfolded it, displaying the crude sketch of a man with spiky hair. It was done entirely in black, leaving only the tan parchment as a means to color the individual, so it left much to the imagination. However, Wendy couldn't help but wonder what the man had done to warrant this specific privilege of being wanted in such a way.

Handing it to Carla, Wendy wasn't surprised to hear of the Exceed's dismay. "This is a convict! A bandit! What good does this do us?"

Wendy rubbed the back of her head. "I-I thought maybe we could... try to find him. Or someone, at least. If he's wanted by the people chasing us, doesn't that make him good?"

Carla snorted and handed the paper back, refusing to look at the picture any longer.

"Absolutely not. For all we know, he's worse than the people looking for us." Carla folded her arms and looked back upon the trail, searching for any source of food. Wendy couldn't help but shudder, however, as she remembered the day's events. She remembered the violent fall of the blade upon the man's neck. She remembered the blood, the scream of innocence... she remembered the crowd's joy at ending another life, just so they could prolong their own...

Maybe Carla didn't understand, she reasoned. Maybe Carla didn't understand there was no one that could be worse than those looking to end lives out of fear. Even if that man was a murderer, she doubted he was any worse. Perhaps, just as bad. But not worse.

"Besides; he's a ruffian, I can tell just by looking at him. He'd only get us into trouble."

Wendy sighed, letting the topic drop. She knew Carla was headstrong, and once the Exceed got an opinion on someone, it was near impossible to change. So, reluctantly, she allowed the topic to drop as she finally located some berries. As she began to fold the paper back up, she couldn't help but gaze upon the man's fierce display.

And as she gathered the berries, she wondered to herself whether or not there was anyone that would help. Would she travel the world, alone? Doing all she could to avoid death?

Or would she finally fear peace? Maybe a brother or sister?

Would she find anyone?

 _'I think you can help me...'_ she thought, thinking of the man one last time, before moving on.

 _'Natsu Dragneel...'_


End file.
